Title: Time to Rest

Author: S J Smith

Rating: Teen

Disclaimer: If I owned any of this, I'd be a lot less worried about being unemployed.

Summary: Tony's exhausting himself, and Pepper can't let that happen.

There comes a time when even Tony Stark loses steam, and slumps across his desk. Pepper's not sure how many nights' sleep he'd missed, but it's been enough, already. "Tony."

He jerked, his head coming up, hair standing in all different directions. "Awake."

"You're not awake," Pepper told him, folding her arms. "You've been working non-stop how many days now? JARVIS?"

"Three days, twelve hours, fifty-two minutes and eight seconds, Miss Potts."

She pointed at the ceiling, as if it housed the disembodied voice. "See? Three and a half days. Plus."

"I'll be okay," Tony rallied enough to argue. "I just." His hand spun in the air and he stared at it for a few seconds, as if it was something he wasn't quite sure existed. "Can't brain. I need more coffee."

Pepper blocked his access to the coffee pot, with the sludge of whatever was still in there. "No, Tony."

"But."

"No, Tony." She fixed him with a profound stare.

"I was just."

"Just going to bed," Pepper said, "or you're not going to be good for anything."

Tony pursed his mouth, and wrinkled his nose, and let out a whine. "But I was really on to something!"

"Do I have to call for help? Because I'll do it." Pepper pulled out her phone and held it so Tony could see that she was about to press a speed dial for SHIELD.

"Shield?" Tony whined. "Don't call them! You know that someone'll come over and scold me and you can get me to bed a lot easier than that by just." As if he realized his mouth was running away from him, he hesitated, blinking rapidly.

"By just?" Pepper asked sweetly, finger thisclose to the touch screen.

"You know what," Tony said, putting his arm around her shoulders. "You and I could maybe, I don't know, go to bed together, and you could make sure I stayed in bed, because you straddling my hips, well, that'd certainly make me want to stay wherever you put me, you know, and then, afterward, I'd be so relaxed, you know I'd have to fall asleep, right?"

Pepper wanted to put her hand in his face and shove, but smiled instead. "You're incorrigible. You know that, right?"

He actually looked as if he was considering how to answer her. "Yes?"

"Go to bed, Tony." This time she did shove him, but in the chest, rather than the face. "And if you're undressed by the time I come to check on you, then I'll tuck you in."

Surprising her by actually starting to walk toward his bedroom, Tony stopped, looking back at her. "You know, you could save the step, and just walk me to my room." He waggled his eyebrows.

Pepper narrowed her eyes at him. "Bed. Now."

"Okay, I'm going." He walked backward a few steps. "But if you'd like to join me, I'm just saying you'd be so much better than a teddy bear."

"Oh, please." Pepper made a shooing motion at him. "Bed. Now." She watched as Tony walked off, somehow managing to remain upright, at least for the first few steps, until he staggered into the door frame. Shaking her head, Pepper trotted after him, ducking under his arm to help him to bed. Sure, it could be a ploy, but better safe than sorry. The idiot might fall down in the hallway, and she wasn't able to haul him up by herself.

Guiding Tony to his bed, Pepper got him under the covers. He sighed, rolled over, and grabbed his pillow, tugging it close. Pepper leaned down and kissed his temple, brushing the hair off his forehead. "Get some sleep," she said. "You need to get all rested up, Tony. Because when you wake up, I'm giving you what you want."

~ end ~